The purpose of a pre-purchase inspection of a vehicle
The purpose of a pre-purchase inspection is to prevent you from purchasing a damaged or accident-involved vehicle. In many cases, the vehicle purchaser does not know that it is worth inspecting the vehicle before purchase or sometimes wants to save a few hundred shekels (the cost of the inspection at a vehicle inspection center). Lack of experience in purchasing used vehicles or the desire to save on the cost of the inspection may cost the purchaser dearly.
In many cases, failure to inspect the vehicle will lead to the vehicle buyer discovering shortly after purchase, and sometimes at the time they want to sell the vehicle, that the vehicle they bought has serious defects or even That the vehicle was in an accident (and sometimes declared by the insurance company Legally lost vehicle or Vehicle is a total loss according to law.).
A pre-purchase inspection is especially important for people who don't understand the automotive industry, people who have never bought a car in their life, and people who don't know how to identify Car dealer, who will usually try to sell them a pig in a poke.
The more expensive the vehicle you want to buy, the more important a pre-purchase inspection is. If, after inspecting the vehicle, significant defects are discovered (usually defined as defects of high significance), it is better to forgo purchasing the vehicle, even if it means the seller will not refund you the cost of the inspection.
In these cases, it is better to lose a few hundred shekels than to purchase a vehicle whose repair costs may reach thousands of shekels or perhaps even much more (for example, if there is Engine defect or in chalk that require their replacement).
Inspection before buying a car – preliminary steps
Before you run to have the vehicle checked at a vehicle inspection center like Computest, and paying hundreds of shekels for the inspection, it is very worthwhile to perform several preliminary inspections that may reveal positive or negative details about the vehicle, and save you the need to perform an inspection before buying a vehicle.
Compare the ad data with the actual vehicle data.
If you found the vehicle online, the first thing you should do is take screenshots and save all the ad data (the text and all the images). This is very important because if in the future there are discrepancies between what was advertised and the actual condition of the vehicle, you will be able to prove in court what exactly was shown to you in the ad, even before you contacted the seller.
לאחר ששמרתם את המודעה תגיעו לבדוק את הרכב בעצמכם. תשוו בין הנתונים שנכתבו במודעה לבין הנתונים שמופיעים ברישיון הרכב. חשוב לוודא מיהו בדיוק הבעלים של הרכב, והאם הוא זה שעומד מולכם (לעיתים יעמוד מולכם סוחר רכבים שעשוי להתחזות לבעל הרכב), האם "יד הרכב" שהוצגה במודעה תואמת את "היד" ברישיון הרכב, האם מספר הקילומטרים שהרכב נסע תואמת את מה שמופיע בפועל במד הקילומטראז' (מד אוץ), אם נכתב במודעה שהרכב ללא תאונות, תוודאו שזה אכן המצב (לעיתים רואים גם בעין לא מקצועית שהרכב היה מעורב בתאונות, ולעיתים רואים אפילו הבדלי צבע שמעידים על תיקונים שנעשו במרכב הרכב).
Insurance claims history check (insurance history)
Another pre-purchase inspection that can be performed is a check of the vehicle's insurance history. This inspection costs a total of 10 shekels and can be performed via a website. Infocar.
If the vehicle was insured with an insurance company at the time of the accident, and the accident was reported to the insurance company, then in the report you receive you will see the date of the accident, the amount of compensation the vehicle owner received (the higher the amount, the more severe the accident), and whether the vehicle was legally defined as a total loss.
The more and more serious accidents you discover, or the more you discover that the vehicle has been defined as a total loss, the more it is worth giving up on purchasing the vehicle.
Another test that can be done is to produce דוח בלק"רThis is a more comprehensive report than the report that shows the insurance history, and includes additional data such as whether the vehicle was owned by a car dealer, whether it was stolen in the past, and other useful information (Sample report). מחיר דוח בלק"ר עומד על כ-150 שקלים.
תדרשו לראות את היסטוריית הטיפולים של הרכב
Checking the vehicle's maintenance history is a pre-purchase inspection that may save you a lot of trouble in the future. The vehicle's maintenance history at the garage will tell you whether the owner of the vehicle was careful to perform regular/annual maintenance and whether any defects/malfunctions were discovered in the vehicle that required exceptional maintenance.
Additionally, the vehicle's service history will tell you what the vehicle's mileage was at each service. This is very important because these days it is very common to discover in retrospect that the seller or someone on their behalf Fake the mileage And we reduced it. The lower the mileage, the more preserved and more valuable the vehicle is in the eyes of the buyer.
If the car owner refuses to show you the vehicle's maintenance history, this is a sign that they are probably hiding something from you, and in these cases it is better to give up on purchasing the vehicle.
Pre-purchase inspection at a vehicle inspection center
A pre-purchase inspection at a vehicle inspection center is a very important inspection that is usually not worth skipping. At the end of the inspection, you will receive a detailed report that will show you the defects in the vehicle. If the defects in the report are minor defects, it is worth checking the cost of repairing the defects, and if it is a reasonable cost, you can try to bargain with the seller to reduce the price so that you can repair the defects and enjoy the vehicle.
On the other hand, if the report you receive reveals highly significant defects, it is usually best to give up on the vehicle and not try to repair it, even if the seller is willing to significantly lower the price.
Pay attention – Never go to the auto inspection center recommended by the seller to have a vehicle inspected before buying it. You will always be the one who chooses the auto inspection center, even if the seller recommends you go somewhere else. Sometimes there is an acquaintance between the car seller and the employees at the auto inspection center, and the employees will be willing to cut corners and not mention all the defects in the inspection report.
A pre-purchase inspection of a vehicle will not always reveal all defects and deficiencies.
Our office receives many inquiries from vehicle buyers who have performed all or some of the steps described in this article and have not detected all the defects in the vehicle, and sometimes have not even detected that the vehicle was involved in an accident or that it was even defined as a legally lost vehicle.
Cases of this type should be examined on their merits because sometimes you will have a cause of action against both the vehicle inspection institute and the vehicle seller.
What is important to do in these cases is to notify the car seller as soon as possible that you have discovered a defect in the car that he did not disclose to you, and to demand Canceling a used vehicle purchase transactionMost often, the seller will claim that he was not aware of the defect and will even claim that you performed an inspection before buying the vehicle and therefore he is not responsible for the defects that were discovered.
This claim is incorrect. If the vehicle owner was aware of the defect and hid it from you, he will be liable for the damages you suffered, even if the vehicle inspection institute did not detect the defect. In some cases, the vehicle owner will be liable for defects even if he was not actually aware of them.
It is important to file a claim as soon as possible after discovering the defect.
Whether you performed a pre-purchase inspection or not, once the defect in the vehicle is discovered, especially if you suspect that the seller was aware of this defect, it is important to file the claim in court as soon as possible.
The longer you wait, the more likely you are to not be able to resolve the problem with the seller yourself, and the longer you delay, the more likely you are to significantly reduce the chance that the court will rule in your favor.
In these cases, it is highly recommended to consult with Automotive Lawyer who is experienced in these types of claims.
In conclusion
A pre-purchase inspection is especially important if you intend to purchase an expensive vehicle or if you lack experience in purchasing used vehicles.
Even before you take the vehicle for inspection at a vehicle inspection center, it is worth checking the vehicle's insurance history, asking the seller to obtain the vehicle's maintenance history, and comparing the vehicle's ad data with the actual vehicle's data.
If you discover suspicious data regarding the vehicle, it is best to forgo purchasing it, even if you paid several hundred shekels for the inspection at the vehicle inspection institute.
In the event that a defect is detected in a vehicle that was hidden from you, contact an experienced lawyer in the field as soon as possible. Car claims To file a claim as soon as possible. The more time passes, the less likely you are to win in court.
